Tag: ceramics

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Ceramics Alumna Invitational in CFA

Photo by: Nate Moore

Former Art Students Return for Ceramics Alumni Invitational

Each year Houghton graduates art students who use a variety of mediums, clay being one of them. On Monday, November 18, the Houghton Art Department will host some of these former students and their artwork in a Ceramics Alumni Invitational in the Ortlip Gallery.. This event will feature various pieces of ceramic art from seventeen Houghton graduates in the Center for Fine Arts from 6-8 p.m.

Alicia Taylor-Austin, director of exhibitions for the Ortlip Gallery and assistant professor of art, said she looks forward to this unique opportunity. “Houghton hosts exhibitions of both established and emerging artists every year,” she said. “This is a unique Alumni Invitational Exhibition specifically focused on artists working in clay who have graduated from Houghton with a degree in art and are actively making ceramic work.”

Gary Baxter, professor of art, serves as the curator of the show. Last year, when he announced his plans for retirement after 35 years of teaching ceramics, sculpture, 3D Design, furniture design, and ancient art history in the department, Baxter and his colleagues planned for a show to exhibit the work of his students who came through Houghton’s program under his teaching and are currently active in the field. He had the privilege of inviting seventeen artists to participate in the gallery. “I was impressed when I saw the work,” he said. “What they’ve done in the gallery in this exhibit will be quite different than what they did while they were students here. They’ve progressed quite a bit over the years.” After receiving work from artists living and working across the United States, Indonesia, and Tanzania, Baxter and Taylor-Austin worked together to design the show.

As a current student, Jill Magara ’17, a studio art major with a concentration in ceramics and photography, is also excited to observe the artistic progress that alumni have made. “It’s exciting for me to see how Professor Baxter’s students’ styles have developed after undergrad. It’s always a really great opportunity to talk with Houghton alumni about how they’ve gotten to the place in the career that they’re at.”

This invitational will provide current Houghton students with the opportunity to not only enjoy the art, but also to learn from alumni. “I think this opening is important because it’s filled with Houghton alumni. These are students that have been in our place years before us and we get to see their successes and talk with them one-on-one about their experiences, successes, and failures,” Magara said. “This doesn’t happen often as an undergrad studying art.”

This invitational is a special opportunity for both professors and students alike to observe professional ceramic art. “There will be a variety of ceramics in the show. Some will be sculptures, some will be low-fire pottery. There is a wide variety of different ways of working as well as the different material they’ve used,” Baxter said. “I was impressed with the students’ work. In fact, it occurred to me that many of them have surpassed me. That was very gratifying to see that.”

Not only that, but this exhibit will be a celebration of Baxter’s loyalty to the art department. “One of the most exciting elements of this show is that you can see the result of Gary’s dedication to teaching,” Taylor-Austin said. “He has instilled very lasting impressions of technique and skill along with a thoughtful approach to working in this medium, conveying ideas, and creating both functional and sculptural work.”

The Ceramics Alumni Invitational Exhibition will feature works by Aaron Harrison, Alic Drew, Arryn Vogan, Barb Arensen, Betsy Addison, Elizabeth Addison, Eric Holbein, Jason Herring, Jennifer Depaolo, Lisa York, Lydia Ferwerda, Marc LeMaire, Nancy Petrillo, Naomi Woolsey, Patricia Ocock, Paul Christensen.

This will be Houghton’s first time hosting a Ceramics Alumni Invitational, making it a rare privilege for the Houghton community to come together and celebrate the ceramic artwork done by Houghton alumni. The work will remain in the Ortlip Gallery from November 14 to January 13.

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Stories In Focus

Senior Art Exhibition 2016

On Monday April 18th, the Houghton Art Department opened its annual Student Art Exhibition. At this year’s show, twelve graduating students working toward a BFA in studio art will present work across a range of materials, including drawing, ceramics and sculpture, photography, painting, and mixed media.

“As you get closer to a show, students realize how fast that deadline is approaching,” Cooley said with a chuckle. “But it’s a great learning experience to be put in that situation,” he added, because it forces students to grapple with the realities of the professional world.

artshow2In fact, the Senior Exhibition aims to simulate the practical realities of professional work as fully as possible. “We don’t guarantee anybody to be in the show,” Cooley explained. “You have to present your work, and it has to be approved, just like you would in an actual gallery.” In order to coordinate a successful exhibition, students must consider how each element of the viewing experience coordinates with all the others.

Participating students are also responsible for the practical aspects of the show—such as setting up the gallery and organizing refreshments for the artists’ reception—which provides a glimpse into a visual artist’s day-to-day work. “They all learn in a collaborative effort to pull all those details together,” said Cooley. “It’s a very real-world experience.”

Organizing such a large show with such a diversity of styles can be an exercise in flexibility, but Cooley is confident in the students’ ability to put out their best work. “Somehow every year, we miraculously pull it off,” he mused. “This year’s not any exception—the work is coming out really strong.” The artists have flourished under what Cooley refers to as the “refining pressure” of a hard deadline. “The students are realizing what they’re really capable of doing. As they head into it, it’s this daunting scary thing. But then they realize what they’re really capable of.”

All this work gives students the opportunity to welcome hard-earned encouragement and recognition from the Houghton community. “Exhibiting seniors are working across a broad range of processes to each create a body of work that articulates their voice as an artist in today’s visual culture,” commented Professor Alicia Taylor, director of the Ortlip Gallery. “The senior exhibition is an opportunity for the community to recognize the achievements of our students in the conclusion of their study here as they move forward to engage in communities that reach out beyond our walls.”

Is it difficult to cultivate a show that draws on so many different media and artistic styles? Challenging, perhaps, but rewarding as well. “It’s really interesting to see some of the overlaps, and see where the work speaks to each other. You see some of the influence of the professors, but I intentionally allow them to think in their own ways, to find their own voice and style. They all do have a uniqueness to their work.”

And this diversity makes for a viewing experience that’s never dull. “It makes a very interesting show. It expands the conversation, it gets fun,” Cooley said. With a grin, he added: “You’re certainly not going to get bored.”

The Senior Student Art Exhibition opens at theGallery on Monday, April 18th. An artists’ reception will be held in the CFA atrium at 7 P.M. on Friday, April 22nd, with refreshments to follow.

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Stories In Focus

Potter Profile: Naomi Woolsey

On a four-pronged stool, a young woman sits, preparing a ball of clay to be thrown on the potter’s wheel before her. The quiet studio is dusty; the art residue turning afternoon sunlight into a soft, dawn fog. Nodding her approval she centers the clay on the wheel.

Naomi Woolsey RGBNaomi Woolsey, a Houghton graduate of 2010, has been practicing ceramics in Houghton College’s studio for over 5 years. She did not major in art, but has felt a love for creating ever since she was a child. “Some of my first memories are of playing in the creek here at Houghton when I’d visit my grandparents,” said Woolsey, “I’d make tiny pots out of the creek clay.” She paused, laughing softly, “Things have really come full circle.”

Woolsey is currently the Teacher’s Assistant for Professor Gary Baxter’s ceramics classes including Ceramics 1, Ceramics 2, and Figurative Clay Sculpture. Baxter became acquainted with Woolsey when she took his ceramics classes as a student.  He noticed her aptitude for acquiring necessary skills and the joy she derived from creating. Thomas Eckert ‘16, a student in Ceramics 1 this past semester said, “Naomi’s joy is evident from the way she works. That joy is imbued in the pieces she produces.”  

When asked about her craft Woolsey explains, “A lot of potters become potters because they fall in love with the material. You’ve got your hands in it. You can really immerse yourself in earth, fire, water, air.” She went on saying, “It records your movement. Even your fingerprint could stay there for tens of thousands of years.”

After graduation Woolsey helped out in the ceramics studio and continued making her pieces.  A year later when the TA position became available she was the natural choice. Her responsibilities now include helping students, doing demonstrations, firing the kilns, and constituting glazes. Baxter has been very pleased to work with her and said, “She’s very responsive, willing to help where she can, and reliable.”

While at Houghton, Woolsey studied Theology and Biblical Studies and has used that training in her artwork. In 2012, Woolsey started an online Etsy site because her basement started filling up. Since the foundation of the shop it has grown sustainably. Luminaries – rounded, decoratively porous candle holders – are among her bestselling items. She also specializes in communion sets and liturgical ware.

In addition to these objects, she also produces work on commision. Last year she was hired by a church in Rochester to make a prayer vessel. The church leaders wanted a physical object to be used in the liturgy where written congregational requests could be placed and later incorporated into the pastoral prayer. The main idea to be conveyed by the piece was that God hears our prayers and God’s people hear our prayers.
Woolsey explained, “Thinking about my field in ceramics and imagery in the Bible I created a vessel that brought together the ideas of the golden bowls placed before God in Revelation and the story in Exodus of Moses and the burning bush. Both of these images convey ideas of God hearing prayer and acting on it by enabling a human servant to hear the people’s prayer and act on it.”

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Arts

Master Ceramicist Coming to Houghton

Houghton alumna Jennifer DePaolo is a ceramicist who will be visiting Houghton next week. Gary Baxter, the ceramics professor here at Houghton and her former teacher, remembers her fondly and said, “She was a good student, got into a prestigious program.”

Courtesy of chceramics.wikispaces.com
Courtesy of chceramics.wikispaces.com

After graduating from Houghton, DePaolo traveled as a studio artist to Kenya, Tanzania, Mexico, Britain, China, and Spain. During these travels, she sought out the culture of art around the globe along with other artist connections.

She then acquired her MFA from New Mexico State University and decided to stay as a faculty member, teaching ceramics. Acting as teacher’s assistant and field coordinator, she also participated in the Land Arts of the American West program offered by New Mexico State University. DePaolo has been featured in several exhibits, such as Dispersal/Return Exhibition at the University of New Mexico Art Museum, the Land/Art statewide exhibition (also through the University of New Mexico Art Museum) and Art in Craft Media at the Burchfield Penney Art Center in Buffalo, NY.

Now DePaolo is in New Mexico working at the Harwood Art Center as the community outreach coordinator. Her work includes working with the volunteer corps, networking with the adult art community, and writing grant proposals for all the Harwood programs. Additionally she curates exhibits, mentors interns, and helps to develop programs. At the same time she is also working as a studio artist.

DePaolo will bring her wealth of experience and skill to the Fine Arts Seminar class this semester, benefiting students and faculty alike. She will also be giving a demonstration in Gary Baxter’s ceramics classes on throwing clay and using slip as a decorative paint.

During the week of October 2nd when DePaolo is here at Houghton, she will be glazing and wood firing many of her pieces which she is either shipping to Houghton or bringing along with her. As a practicing artist, she never stops making work. Much of DePaolo’s work is about food and hunger, which echoes the theme of the Faith and Justice Symposium for this year, and will be an interesting addition to the thoughts that have already been stirred starting Wednesday of this week.

Things to Do: Schein-Joseph International Museum of Ceramic Art

Courtesy of ceramicsmuseum.alfred.edu
Courtesy of ceramicsmuseum.alfred.edu

Just 45 minutes south-east of Houghton on the Alfred University campus is the Schein-Joseph International Museum of Ceramic Art. According to the museum website, the museum “houses nearly 8,000 ceramic and glass objects, ranging from small pottery shards recovered from ancient civilizations to contemporary sculpture and installation pieces to advanced ceramics reflecting the cutting edge of ceramic technology.”

Unique to this museum is “The outstanding collection of graduate thesis ceramics created by Alfred-educated ceramists… [which] historically has formed the core of the collection. The permanent collection has grown to include works by internationally recognized ceramic artists,” as stated on the website.

The current exhibition is titled New Morphologies: Studio Ceramics and Digital Processes, and will be on display through April 5. According to ceramicsmuseum.alfred.edu, the exhibit “highlights work that emerges from the encounter between the physical materiality of ceramic objects and the ephemerality of digital information. Working in Belgium, the U.S., Holland, and the U.K., the makers in this exhibition explore the intersection of digital technology with ceramic practice.”

Visit http://ceramicsmuseum.alfred.edu/exhibitions/ for more information on current, upcoming and former exhibitions.

The museum is open Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is closed Saturday through Tuesday and some holidays. Oh, and did I mention admission is free? Now you have no reason not to go for a visit.

 

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Arts

Intricate Ceramics Exhibit

An exhibition by Jason Green entitled “Past and Present” is currently on display in the Ortlip Art Gallery.  The exhibit is open until March 7, and there is an opening reception on February 23.
Entering the exhibit evokes a sense of quiet.  All but two of the pieces on display are mid-sized and evenly spaced along the walls, leaving the center of the gallery open and empty.  This bare space is oddly inviting.  It draws the eye to the individual pieces and necessitates movement to examine each work up close.
“Jason’s work is pretty exciting for our gallery, we haven’t had an exhibit like it in a while– a full ceramics show,” said Hannah Jennings.  According to Green’s artist statement, his current work grew out of his “experience as a builder, renovator and maker of temporary architectural installations.”

Ceramics piece by Jason Green
Ceramics piece by Jason Green

Green’s work in this show is comprised mostly of tiles, “thick, gorgeous, and oversized,” described Jennings, and the pieces do seem to hearken to a tradition of building and construction.  They are raised slabs on the wall, coated in designs that call to mind Eastern temples.

Indeed, Green cited travel as one of his main influences, listing off China, Mexico, France, and Italy as major sources of inspiration.  He works to incorporate “themes, ideas, and motifs that are shared between different cultures and different time periods.”

The two pieces on display that most notably reflect this concept are the two free-standing pieces.  Green has created stacks of interestingly shaped, repetitive tiles that are coated with ornate texture.  They look as if they had once been part of an ancient greater structure, now worn away.

Green himself reinforced this impression by sharing his intent behind the patterns, stating, “Decorative patterns lifted from history recall how layers build up over time, each having given a contribution to the memory and story of the space.”  The two free-standing pieces are by far the most conservative in color choice, as the rest of the wall-mounted tiles integrate bright blues and greens.

In addition to the color, close examination reveals that these tiles are also covered in intricate, overlapping patterns and textures.  In some cases, the clay itself will create a 3D texture that contrasts with glazed designs, and in others, multiple layers of glaze create depth and crisscrossing patterns. Some of these forms are geometric, repeating, and solid, while others are more organic and flowing, and the two styles work together within the clay.

Green said, “The geometry of my arrangements is tempered by the fluid characteristics of glazed surfaces that evolve during multiple applications and firings.  Some works use fields of modular units that suggest the vastness of landscape and the results of weather and erosion.”  The pieces are both beautiful and also intriguing, making it a mystery as to how they are created.

“His work would be interesting to a lot of people, I think, because of the process, which is something he’ll be talking about during the opening reception,” said Jennings.

The reception will be from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Ortlip Gallery on February 23.  Green’s artist talk will start at 7:30 p.m. and there will also be live music and refreshments, so be sure to check it out and find out how Green makes such stunning and intricate artwork.